The Newest Maid at Malfoy Manor
by Silliness Abounds
Summary: Takes place seven years after Voldemort's defeat at Hogwarts. After the loss of their house elf, the Malfoys now employ several maids to cook and clean for them. Elle West quickly finds out the job includes some... unconventional tasks.
1. Chapter 1

**The Newest Maid at Malfoy Manor 1**

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><p><strong>Premise:<strong> The story takes place seven years after Voldemort's defeat at Hogwarts (2005). The wizarding community is finally recovering from the Dark Lord's second reign of terror and things are finally looking up. The Malfoys have narrowly escaped the fate of many of their fellow Death Eaters - death or Azkaban, but not without losses. After suffering financial woes and ostracization, they are finally making an entrance back into magical society.

After having lost Dobby and with new restrictions on employing non-human beings, the Malfoys now employ several maids and a butler to cook and clean for them. Elle joins Gi, Chelsea, and Edgar as the Malfoys' house staff. She quickly finds out the job includes some... unconventional tasks.

**Author's Note:** This is my first story uploaded to FF. Please let me know what you think. :)

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><p>"Both Lucius and Draco are coming home tonight." Edgar's heels clicked against the cold tile as he paced swiftly up and down the length of the kitchen. He turned on his heel to face us. "All ground floor rooms will be thoroughly cleaned as well as Master Malfoy's study and the bedrooms."<p>

"That's too much!" Gi exclaimed.

"It wouldn't be too much if you had actually made a decent effort to clean during the Malfoys' absence." Edgar sniffed and looked down his nose at her. She bit her lip and averted her eyes to the ground. "Although I suppose I only have myself to blame, as it is my job to oversee the entire house." He closed his eyes for a few seconds and stopped his pacing, as if to allow himself a few private moments of personal disappointment.

"They still shouldn't be coming home so early," Gi muttered under her breath. Edgar ignored her.

"Everything needs to be dusted, polished, and scrubbed... Dinner should be ready for their arrival. I think Master Malfoy's favorite dish of seared halibut would be appropriate. Chelsea?"

"I'll go to the market," Chelsea replied. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and nodded.

I watched as dust motes danced in the sunlight streaming through the kitchen windows. Edgar's head bobbed as he talked and his slicked, black hair glistened in the morning light.

"Good. In the meantime Elle and Georgiana -" I straightened up at the mention of my name. "- You will both begin cleaning. _Don't_ cut corners; I will be inspecting each room thoroughly as soon as you are done. Understand?"

"Yes," both me and Gi said in unison.

"Good. Begin." He turned and walked swiftly from the room.

I exchanged a look of commiseration with Chelsea, my closest friend in the house. Gi slouched out of the room after Edgar. I wondered what surprises the day would hold after Lucius Malfoy and his son had arrived.

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><p>"So Gi will have to move back to the Cubby with us." Chelsea had dubbed our quarters "the Cubby." The three of us girls slept in what could only be called a glorified attic. It was small and perpetually dusty, despite our best efforts to keep it clean.<p>

Since Lucius and Draco had been away on a tour of Eastern Europe, Gi had taken the liberty of claiming one of the many spacious bedrooms in the manor as her own. Somehow she had managed to hide this from Edgar, or if he knew, he didn't care.

"Mmhmm, what do you think she's doing right now?" Chelsea gave me a knowing look as she finely chopped vegetables. She flicked her wands and the vegetables flew gracefully into a nearby pot. She had requested my help for dinner so I was temporarily reprieved from cleaning.

"What? I thought she was cleaning?" I attempted to wave my wand in the same fluid motion Chelsea had done, but the onions I had been mincing barely lifted from the cutting board.

"You'll get the hang off it eventually," Chelsea said in response to the exasperated sigh I let slip. "Your nerves are probably getting in the way, just try not to think about later tonight."

"Easy for you to say. You're not meeting them for the first time. Anyway, Georgiana is...?"

"Moving back to the Cubby right now. It should only take her fifteen minutes tops, but you know her... she'll try and drag it out for as long as possible."

I rolled my eyes in agreement, "I only hope Edgar doesn't catch her."

"That might not be such a bad thing," she said sending me a knowing glance. "She could do with some putting in her place... Anyways, just relax. They'll probably be so tired from traveling they won't even notice you."

I attempted a confident smile, though I suspect I failed to fool Chelsea because she shot me a knowing look and told me to relax once more as she sent another clove of immaculately chopped garlic flying into the pot.

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><p>"They're coming! They're coming!" Chelsea ran into the dining room, where I was putting the last finishing touches on the place settings for dinner. "They're... coming..." she panted, rested for a second before running out of the room again.<p>

I felt my stomach flip-flop. I hastily threw down the last silverware and ran to the entrance hall after Chelsea. Gi and Egdar were already there. Both were looking perfectly calm and put together. Edgar stood with his hands behind his back and his head high. Gi was equally poised. I had barely taken my place beside Chelsea when the tall double doors creaked open. I briefly glimpsed a silhouette against the night sky before Lucius Malfoy stepped into the light of the hallway.

He looked tired, much older then I remembered from the few glimpses I got of him at Hogwarts, but still managed to wear a condescending look on his face. His eyes swept along the four of us. Edgar gave a deep bow, while both Gi and Chelsea curtsied. I gave a nervous smile and a wobbly curtsy while averting my eyes.

"Good evening, Sir. Dinner is prepared; halibut, one of your favorites. May I take your cloak?" I heard Edgar's smooth voice ring out through the empty hall.

I peeked up under my eyelashes and was shocked to find Lucius' icy blue eyes boring straight into mine. He wordlessly handed his cloak to Edgar, who folded it in his arms before retreating back into line. "So this is the new girl?" he said curtly.

"Yes," Edgar answered him, "Elle, sir. Short for Elliot. Elliot West. She shows promise. I do think-"

"Enough." He held up a hand to Edgar. "I assume she can speak for herself... Elliot isn't that a boy's name?"

"Yes, but it's a family name."

He stared coldly at me.

"_Sir_," I added nervously.

"Very well. As you may have noticed Draco is absent." He threw his hand out loftily, as if to make note of the space Draco should have occupied. He began pacing slowly in front of the three of us. His footsteps echoed loudly in the hall. "He's at a party in London. Needless to say, he will most likely not be able find his way home on his own by the end of the night."

He sneered, obviously disapproving of how his son had chosen to spend the evening. "As we have an important Ministry function to attend to in the morning, it is of utmost important he _does_ find his way home.

"New girl!" He barked, turning sharply to face me. "This is your task. Succeed and you get to keep your job. Failure would prove how unsuited you are to this position."

My eyes widened. Before I had a chance to respond he was already addressing the others. "As Draco is not here I will be taking my dinner in the study. Edgar, you will bring up my dinner and update me on the state of affairs during my absence." He gave a cold smile to Edgar, who bowed.

He turned back to me. "This is the address of Draco's party." He held out a slip of parchment to me, I took it with a shaky hand. "Get him back by three." He gave me a hard stare, as if to remind me what would happen if I didn't, though I hardly needed reminding.

He turned as if to walk away, "Somebody get some more light in here. It's so drafty and dark. When I leave I don't want to return home to a tomb," he snarled. He began walking away. He waved a hand back to us, "Dismissed."

Chelsea immediately began muttering under her breath, shooting small golden orbs out of her wand. The floated down the hall and into several side doors, alighting on unlit candelabras. I'm sure by the time she was done it would seem as if the whole manor was ablaze. Edgar had also sprung into action, moving faster then I had ever seen him during my short time here, walking swiftly to the kitchen to fetch Lucius' dinner.

I stood still, unsure of what to do. G slunk out of the hall and I was left alone. I unfolded the parchment; some address in Highgate was scribbled on it, barely legible. "Chelsea," I whispered, she turned to look at me, still firing off spells, "Chelsea what do I do?"

She jabbed her wand sharply into the air three times, producing three more golden orbs, before stepping over and reading the parchment in my hands. "Oh that's not so bad, you have an actual address. Sometimes we have to search what feels like half the town to find him." She made it sound like a regular occurrence.

"Chelsea," I hissed, "This wasn't in the job description."

"Some aspects of the job are a little... unconventional. But you'll be fine!" She averted her eyes. I got the distinct feeling she had expected something like this, but had purposely failed to mention it to me.

"I'm a _maid_, not a babysitter!" I exclaimed.

"Calm down! Really, it's not so bad. I mean the pay is alright, and food and board is included... that's not much compared to a few odd jobs. Stop giving me that look! This isn't my fault." She looked hurt and I realized I had been scowling at her. I immediately relaxed my face.

At that moment Edgar passed by with a covered silver platter. "Edgar!" I hissed.

He didn't break stride, without asking what I wanted he said, "You heard the man. If you want your job you know what to do. If you're incapable of performing your duties we can always find someone who is." He ascended the grand staircase and disappeared from view.

I stood aghast. I tired not to panic at the sudden jeopardy of my job. Chelsea patted my back. "I'm sure you'll do fine," she whispered.

"Okay. Alright." I swallowed. "I'll do it. But only because it'd be too much work to find another job. And you have to tell me later about any other... 'extracurricular' activities I have to do."

A shaky grin spread across her face. "Thank Merlin, you have no idea how unbearable it is being stuck with only Gi and Edgar. And," she said in a softer voice, "I'll tell you everything after you get back. Don't worry, it's nothing you can't handle."

A weak smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and I tried to mentally brace myself for the upcoming night.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Newest Maid at Malfoy Manor 2**

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><p><strong>Premise:<strong> The story takes place seven years after Voldemort's defeat at Hogwarts (2005). The wizarding community is finally recovering from the Dark Lord's second reign of terror and things are finally looking up. The Malfoys have narrowly escaped the fate of many of their fellow Death Eaters - death or Azkaban, but not without losses. After suffering financial woes and ostracization, they are finally making an entrance back into magical society.

After having lost Dobby and with new restrictions on employing non-human beings, the Malfoys now employ several maids and a butler to cook and clean for them. Elle joins Gi, Chelsea, and Edgar as the Malfoys' house staff. She quickly finds out the job includes some... unconventional tasks.

**Author's Note:** Part two is up! I would love to know what you guys think so far. :)

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><p>The address Lucius had given me led to a quiet neighborhood of towering townhouses and small, immaculate gardens crammed between house and sidewalk. Stars twinkled merrily overhead and crickets chirped with abandon. The entire street seemed to be fast asleep, no signs of a party anywhere.<p>

I hesitantly climbed the steps to a dark brick house. A slight wind rose up, rustling leaves and causing the hair on the back off my neck to stand up.

A silver hippogriff knocker sat squarely in the middle of the door. I reached for the round ring held in its beak. My fingers barely brushed the cold metal when the door swung open soundlessly. I gasped and stumbled backwards. The doorway was entirely pitch black, I couldn't see into the house at all.

"_Never enter an unfamiliar magical presence. When in doubt, stay out!"_ A Daily Prophet safety tip flashed through my mind.

I stood staring into the dark abyss of the house. My stomach suddenly turned over as I remembered the Malfoys used to be Death Eaters. What if this was some elaborate trap?

_Don't be ridiculous_, I told myself. _It's just a house. You can do this._ I reached a hand out towards the darkness. There was a certain resistance as it met the blackness, but it slipped through. I couldn't see my hand; it was as if my arm suddenly stopped at my wrist, cut off by the darkness. I panicked and immediately pulled my hand back. There was that same strange sensation, almost as if I were pulling my hand through a thick syrup.

My hand looked fine. I wiggled my fingers experimentally. All in working order. _Here goes nothing,_ I thought and stepped over the threshold. There was a slight pressure in my ears and I briefly felt as if something were pushing against me. Before I had time to let out a confused cry I was met with an explosion of sound and bright lights.

I stood in the middle of a crowded hallway with a staircase leading up and several doors branching off. Everybody was talking and laughing, clinking glasses. Somewhere from upstairs I could hear the dull throbbing of what sounded like the Weird Sister's latest album.

I looked behind me; the doorway was still impossibly black. _It's some sort of sound and light barrier_, I realized. You'd be able to hear this party from all the way down the street, but you couldn't.

I faced forward again. It was the oddest collection of people. I didn't feel so out of place in my plain cloak and maid's dress, because there were people dressed far stranger. I watched as a man dressed all entirely in bright turquoise slid down the banister of the staircase. He flew off the end and landed in a heap on the floor. His friends hefted him up and patted him on the back. One of his friends, a small blonde girl, seemed to be wearing a cloak that changed color. I watched her for a few seconds, mesmerized. Nobody seemed to have noticed my entrance.

I tapped the nearest person on their shoulder. A girl turned around. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, unfortunately accentuating her large forehead.

"Do you know where Draco Malfoy is?" I asked, trying my best to yell over the noise.

She looked me up and down and said something I couldn't understand before turning back to her friends. _This is hopeless,_ I thought. I pushed my way through the crowd, looking for that distinctive head of platinum blonde hair.

I wandered throughout the rooms. The townhouse was lavishly decorated. In one room there was an entire display of Quidditch trophies against a wall, as well as jerseys and signed pictures. Another room was so smoky, I could hardly see in front of me. Someone bumped into me and I fell further into the bluish haze. It took me a while to find my way out, but I finally stumbled out into another room.

I coughed, and when I straightened up I spotted him.

He was leaning casually against the wall, cupping a champagne glass loosely in his hand. His hair was disheveled, but in exactly the right way. He was talking to a group of three girls. I watched as they all laughed. Mouths open wide, gasping for air. He smirked and took a sip of champagne.

It was undeniably Draco Malfoy.

I was in Gryffindor and four years beneath him, so our paths rarely crossed at Hogwarts. I occasionally saw him in the hallways or on the Quidditch field, but it had been a while.

I suppose he looked exactly the same, but I was still surprised to see him looking so... so... normal. Here was a man who was one of Voldemort's youngest recruits. Here was a man who had seen the Dark Lord face-to-face. This is somebody who narrowly escaped a death sentence and was forced to watch his fellow Death Eaters die. And he looked _normal_.

Better than normal, in fact. Even from across the room I could see he exuded an easy, charming confidence. A friend came over and clapped him on the back. Draco lifted his champagne glass up and their glasses clinked.

_You're here to do a job, _I reminded myself. I threaded my way through the crowd. He didn't notice me as I approached. It wasn't until I was standing two feet away from him that he looked away from his friends.

"Draco?" I said. I knew it was him but I couldn't keep a note of uncertainty out of my voice. I was met with equal looks of disdain and curiosity from his posse.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. "Um, your father sent me. I'm..." I didn't want to say I was his maid, especially in front of his friends. "He sent me to get you," I finished rather lamely.

He took a sip of champagne and laughed. "Oh god, sent you on some sort of errand, did he?" He leaned closer to me, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. His eyes were somewhat glassy and I realized he was drunk. "Why don't you just skip on back home? I'm not five anymore. Tell him that. I don't need an escort. Well... depends on what kind of escort." He tipped the champagne glass back and gave a sloppy wink. The champagne glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the hardwood floor.

Several heads turned and a few people laughed. The one friend who had come over just before me seemed to find this uproarisaly funny, "Draco! Ye clumsy bastard!" he wheezed out between laughs.

"Why don't you clean that up? That's your job isn't it?" He gave a wicked grin and turned slightly to face the group of girls. I stood there, dumbfounded. What was I supposed to do now? Surely I couldn't return back to the manor without Draco. I didn't want to lose my job.

I was beginning to feel less then fond of Draco.

I looked around the room for a clock. In a corner there was a small cuckoo clock. I could barely make out the time, but it was 2:28. Just a little over 30 minutes to get Draco home.

"Draco, your father wants you home."

He gave the girls an exasperated look and turned toward me. "Didn't I ask you to clean that up?" He looked down at the broken glass.

I glared at him. He stared back, his lips curved into a small, cruel smile. "Well?"

I pulled my wand out of my pocket, pointed it at the glass and muttered _"Reparo,"_ under my breath. "Come with me."

"No." He continued smiling. "I'm sorry, but I believe I have already made my view on that matter _quite _clear." He turned back to the girls. "The girls my father hires, sometimes they have trouble following even simple instructions. Good at cleaning, but not that bright. _Nothing_ like you lovely ladies." The girls tittered and cooed at him. One began to say something.

I pointed my wand at his chest. "Come with me."

Someone gasped.

"He doesn't want to go with you!" one of the girls said.

"Yeah, leave him alone!"

Draco ignored their outbursts and stopped smiling. He brought his face close to mine "What are you going to do in a room full of my friends?" he said under his breath. The alcohol on his breath nearly overwhelmed me. I tried to keep a straight face but it was almost impossible not to cringe at the smell.

"Whatever it takes." I swallowed nervously.

His eyes darted around the room. Several people close by had turned their heads towards us in interest.

"Some women won't take no for an answer, eh?" he said loudly, a broad smile now playing on his face. He stepped forward and all of a sudden his arm was around my waist. "I'm afraid I will have to bid you farewell! _Ladies_," he said bowed towards his bevy of girls, a roguish smile on his lips. A few people threw their glasses up in farewell toast.

I tried to escape from his grasp, but he just pulled me closer to him. He took his time saying goodbye to his friends, none of whom acknowledged me and seemed oblivious to my attempts to escape from under his arm.

Suddenly were pushing through the blackness of the doorway and standing out on the cold stoop. After being pressed against his side in the stuffiness of the party the cold air was refreshing. He finally let go, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flask. "That was quite a stunt you pulled back there," he said after taking a swig.

I glared at him and said nothing.

"Don't worry," he slurred slightly. "I like 'em feisty." He gave a devilish smile and took another swig from his flask.

"Grab onto my arm." I tried to muster as much authority as I could into my voice.

He smirked and his hand brushed against my butt before clamping onto my arm in a death grip. I looked up at him. His eyes scanned mine and he squeezed my arm harder all while smiling manically. I barely suppressed a cry of pain. I took a step and turned, Disapparating with him.

We Apparated just outside the gate to the manor. After the long walk up to the house, we stumbled into the entrance hall. He had continued to hold onto my arm in a vice like grip until we crossed the threshold He let go and I rubbed where he had been holding on. The skin was red.

He straightened up and looked around. "I'm hooome!" he called out, throwing his arms into the air and strutting about the hallway. "Home!" he called out again, then hiccupped.

He reached into his coat and took another draught from his flask. He turned around and started walking towards me; he opened his mouth to say something -

"Draco!" His father appeared atop the grand staircase. Draco's head whipped up and around. "Come up to my study. We need to discuss tomorrow's plans." Draco bowed his head and began climbing the stairs up to his father. Lucius locked eyes with me for a second but said nothing.

_I guess that means I'm not fired._ I nodded and began making my way up to the Cubby. When I arrived Gi was asleep, but Chelsea was still up, reading by wandlight. She started at my footsteps. "Oh there you are! How was it?" She closed her book and held her wand up higher to see me better.

"Well. He was drunk." I said numbly, sitting on my bed and staring off into a dark corner.

"Ooh, I hope he wasn't too difficult."

"I had to threaten him with wand."

She laughed, "You learn fast..." She paused. You asked about what else we have to do?" she said more seriously.

I sighed and unconsciously rubbed the spot on my arm where he had held on. "I think I'm too tired to hear about it tonight."

"Okay." Her expression was hard to read in the feeble wand light. "It's mostly just stuff like that. Picking stuff up. Only sometimes you have to pick up people."

"Good night, Chels." I pulled off my dress and snuggled under the covered.

"I'm glad you weren't fired, Elle," she said.

"Me too."

"It really was horrible with just Edgar and Gi."

Gi muttered something incomprehensible in her sleep. Chelsea's wand light went out and the room was engulfed in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Newest Maid at Malfoy Manor 3**

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><p><strong>Premise:<strong> The story takes place seven years after Voldemort's defeat at Hogwarts (2005). The wizarding community is finally recovering from the Dark Lord's second reign of terror and things are finally looking up. The Malfoys have narrowly escaped the fate of many of their fellow Death Eaters - death or Azkaban, but not without losses. After suffering financial woes and ostracization, they are finally making an entrance back into magical society.

After having lost Dobby and with new restrictions on employing non-human beings, the Malfoys now employ several maids and a butler to cook and clean for them. Elle joins Gi, Chelsea, and Edgar as the Malfoys' house staff. She quickly finds out the job includes some... unconventional tasks.

**Author's Note:** My goal is to update about once a week. Hopefully I'll be able keep up once school starts. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.

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><p>The next morning I waited nervously for the Malfoys to get up and come down to breakfast. At this point I didn't really like either Father or Son, so I was glad they'd be gone for most of the day at some Ministry event. I tugged at a fold in my dress, smoothing it out. We wore plain black cotton dresses. Chelsea and I looked alright in them, while Gi, who seemed to look good no matter what, looked flawless as usual.<p>

I could hear indistinct chatter float in from the hallway.

"-it would help if you spent less time partying, Draco. This bachelor lifestyle you've been living hardly goes well with the image we're trying to present."

"What's the point? You'll hardly ever be the Minister's golden boy again. Not with half the Order of the Phoenix controlling the Ministry now anyways," Draco said in a dead, matter-of-fact tone.

"The magical community is finally coming into its first time of prosperity since the Dark Lord's reign. We'd be fools not to take advantage of it."

Draco mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"Well you're mother's not here now, is she?" Lucius spat.

I felt a small pang of pity. I remembered reading something in the Daily Prophet a view years ago about Narcissa Malfoy's death. I couldn't remember the cause, but I don't think she'd ever been the same after the Battle of Hogwarts.

They strolled into the dining room. I stood at attention. I looked across at Gi, who like me, was waiting to seat the Malfoys. Breakfast was a complicated, choreographed affair. Edgar had breezed through where to stand, how to act, how to pull out the chair, and when to leave. My head was still spinning with the logistics of it all. We sure didn't do breakfast like this at my house.

Lucius strode swiftly to my end of the table. I pulled his chair out; it scraped painfully against the hardwood floor. He sat down without looking at me. Draco was seated by Gi. He had dark shadows under his bleary eyes and wore a frown on his face.

On cue, Egdar and Chelsea's burst forth from the kitchen, laden with beautiful, steaming platters of food.

"I hope this morning finds Master Malfoy and his son well," Edgar said as he set down food in front of Lucius.

"Yes, perfectly fine. Thank you, Edgar." Lucius said flatly.

"If you need anything -"

"Yes, I know. That will be all for now." Lucius made a shooing motion with his hand. Edgar bowed, giving a pointed look to both me and Gi. Despite my thorough coaching beforehand, I froze. I couldn't remember what came next. Did I go back to the kitchen, or stand off to the side to await further instructions...?

Sensing my cluelessness, no doubt from my deer in the headlights look, Gi marched over and grabbed my hand, forcefully dragging me into the kitchen.

Chelsea sat at the small kitchen table poking a spoon at some runny porridge and a bowl of fruit. Our breakfast was far less glamorous then the smorgasbord board of treats the Malfoys were currently enjoying.

"So that's how it is at all meals?" I asked, cocking my head to one side.

Gi jumped up and perched on the counter. "Pretty much." She toyed with a stray lock of hair.

"It seems so... unnecessary. Would it kill them to pull out their own chairs?"

Gi shot me a fierce look I couldn't quite read. "Well they don't pay us to stand around," she said testily.

"Funny, considering you don't seem to do much else," Chelsea muttered, but still loud enough for Gi to hear.

"Bite me," G retorted, sliding off the counter to grab some fruit.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear them talking today?" I asked Chelsea as we straightened up Draco's room.<p>

"Hmm? Oh after a while you start to tune them out." She didn't need to ask who "them" was. There seemed to be an eerie effect of nobody else existing in world when we were in Malfoy Manor, besides the Malfoys.

"Do you know what they're doing at the Ministry? Lucius said something about 'taking advantage' of an opportunity?" I tried not to sound too nervous asking her, I still remembered the Malfoys' dark past and didn't like the idea of them being up to something potentially illegal.

"Oh that? The old mans' been going on about 'restoring honor to the Malfoy name' for months. After ol' Voldie was defeated once and for all the Malfoys didn't come out looking too hot. Although they managed to weasel their way out of a death sentence AND Azkaban... Naturally they didn't have too many friends left. I mean, all their Death Eater pals were done for and the rest of the wizarding community wanted nothing to do with them. They were alone.

"I think Lucius feels seven years is long enough. Time to start making amends and gaining entrance back into magical society. I mean he used to rub elbows with the Minister of Magic and his crew. Guess he's finally had enough of being at the bottom of the barrel and now he's finally launching some grand plan to rocket his way to the top again."

_Just some harmless - if futile - social climbing,_ I thought. _Nothing to be worried about. _"Hmm. I can't imagine him making too much headway."

Chelsea snorted, "No, but seven years is a long time to be lonely and powerless. Damned if he doesn't try."

I nodded and smoothed down the sheets on Draco's bed. I wasn't too good at cleaning spells. Chelsea merely had to point her wand at an object and it pretty much dusted itself off and tucked itself away. Although some things were still easier to do without magic, regardless.

I wondered how Lucius could think it was possible to recover the Malfoy reputation. He'd already lied and cheated his way to the top once before, after Voldemort's first demise. Did he really think he could do it again?

I finished making the bed. "I think that's it," I said as I tucked in the last corner. I turned to look to survey the room; it was spotless.

"Looks like it," she agreed. I started walking out of the room. Something shiny flashed on the ground near the bed.

"Hold on." I paused and bent down to scoop it up. It was a small, gold locket in the shape of a heart. I turned it over in my palm. It was embossed with a simple flower that had small glittering diamonds for petals.

"This doesn't look like something a 24 year old boy would own..." I held it up for Chelsea to see.

She squinted her eyes and peered closer for a better look. "Probably just a trinket some girl left behind. Leave in where you found it. Come on."

"Some girl...?"

"Draco brings home quite a few. Hurry up, we've got laundry to do still before they get back."

"Really?" I cocked my head, recalling the girls he had been talking to at the party, the night before.

"Yeah, he's actually quite the lady's man. Apparently being a former Death Eater just adds mystique to his allure. Gives off a whole misunderstood bad boy vibe. Go figure." She rolled her eyes.

I brushed my fingers over it. It looked like there had been an inscription once, but it was worn away. "It looks old. I bet someone's missing it."

"You might as well take it. Doubt Draco's going to be giving it back anytime soon. In fact, he might have taken it himself. I came across a trunk full of... trophies from his conquests once." Chelsea wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Trophies?" My eyes widened.

"It was full of junk. Bras, panties, a scarf... I think I saw a pair of handcuffs. I shut it pretty fast, I didn't really want to look through it."

"Huh." I toyed around with the locket. The diamonds winked and sparkled at me.

"Well are you going to take it or leave it? Let's stop dawdling. You're just like Gi; she treats everything up here like it's sacred or something. Of course, she also has the _biggest_ crush on him..."

"What!"

"Oh yeah, I guess he hasn't been around much, so it hasn't been too apparent. But she's obsessed, practically in love with him. It's sad." She leaned coolly against the doorframe, clearly enjoying the gossip. Suddenly she wasn't in such a hurry to get our chores done.

"Wow," I murmured.

As if summoned by the mere mention of her, Gi popped up in the doorway behind Chelsea. "Edgar says -" But whatever Edgar had to say could wait. Her voice trailed off and she stood staring transfixed at the locket that now hung from my fingers. "What's that?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just I found it in here."

I swung it a little and watched her eyes follow it.

"Here? Draco's room?"

"Bingo."

She blinked a few times, opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. There was silence for a few moments as we all stared at the small locket.

"Oh you two are ridiculous! It's just a necklace." Chelsea marched over and snatched the locket out of my hand. She threw it on the bed. "Nothing you haven't seen before. Anyways, I'm sure Edgar was nagging us about the laundry. Let's go." She left the room.

I followed her out, accidentally bumping into Gi who still stood in the doorway, staring into the room with a peculiar expression.

"She's going to add it to her shrine." Chelsea hissed in the hallway when I had caught up with her.

"Shrine? Tell me you aren't serious!"

She gave a mischievous smile.

"Oh Merlin," I laughed, "I really believed you."

"She could have one as far as I know." She shrugged and cast a glance backwards. I looked back as well. Gi had disappeared from the doorway, though whether she had gone into Draco's room or wandered off someplace else to avoid work, I couldn't tell.

"She's in there riiiight now... _sniffing his knickers_." Chelsea whispered, elbowing me and wearing the same impish smile as before.

"That is an image I did not need in my head." I groaned. "Stop it." I paused. "You know, I really can't picture Gi being that crazy. She's too... beautiful... to be crazy. Does that sound weird?"

I felt like I was pointing out the obvious, or maybe everyone else in the house had just gotten used to her high cheekbones and wide, deep blue eyes. It was true. She was stunning.

Chelsea looked me in the eye. "Trust me. She is a crazy as they come."

* * *

><p>Lucius and Draco arrived back in the early afternoon.<p>

"I take it the meeting went well, sir?" Edgar addressed Lucius' as he took both his and Draco's cloaks in the entry hall.

"Very well." Despite his broad smile, his eyes remained cold. "Better then could be expected."

Draco said nothing and sulked up the stairs. I looked to Gi, remembering what Chelsea had told me earlier this morning, and watched as her eyes hungrily followed his retreating figure. If Lucius thought anything of his son's silent exit, he said nothing about it.

"Edgar, bring up a late lunch to my study." There was a mad glint in his eye. "There's work to be done."


End file.
